A journey around the world

South St. Paul, Minn. (March 26, 2010) – A day-long series of cultural showcases last week introduced students to world cultures – face-to-face.Sponsored by the Minnesota International Center, Kaposia students learned about daily life in other cultures, met with 28 international speakers; natives of various African, Latin American, European and Asian countries, including 17 students from China attending the University of Minnesota.

International guests rotated classrooms appearances in native dress to speak about culture and life in their native countries. The activities included Spanish songs, Salsa dancing and Chinese games.

Barinya, an African drummer group, performed before a school-wide assembly.

World Cultures Day is part of MIC’s statewide effort to provide the schoolchildren of Minnesota with opportunities to interact with people from other cultures. It aims to awaken curiosity and increase cultural competency to better participate in a multicultural community.

During the 2007-2008 academic year, MIC coordinated 913 presentations by 103 speakers from 41 countries to an audience of 25,000 students in Minnesota schools.